by Maksim Malik
“It will be several sols before we decipher their calendar and numbering system,” Adan said. “I find the idea of meeting my designer intriguing, but also somewhat daunting.”
“I can understand that,” Nadani said.
“Park also thinks much time is needed and worries whether it will decipher the information before the event happens or after,” Dr. Tysgan said.
Nadani thought about the message. If she were to go to Dr. Feckwell, would she give up a chance to rescue Trisha? Being at the next attack would be her best chance to find her.
“Okay, if we go and decipher the location and time at any point, we need to leave immediately,” Nadani said.
That sounds fair, Adan said.
“Reasonable,” Dr. Tysgan said. “Park agrees. I am quite interested to meet this doctor. A genius surely. Creating AI, no small task.”
“I can’t believe CAAI has had him all this time,” Nadani said. “Though it makes sense CAAI would kidnap a creator of AI. He’ll need to be careful since CAAI is still an issue. We can warn him of that.”
“I wonder,” Dr. Tysgan said and paused, tilting his head. “How was he freed?”
“That’s a good question,” Nadani said. “Maybe he escaped. Maybe a security raid found him. They could have let him go for some reason too. I’m sure we’ll find out when we get there.”
“True, true,” Dr. Tysgan said.
“So we’re doing this then?” Nadani asked, her stomach felt like she changed between gravity settings, the almost tight, fluttery experience.
“Yes, I would be delighted!” Dr. Tysgan exclaimed. “Perhaps he will want to know about nanobots from me.”
“Maybe he would,” Nadani said. Dr. Tysgan’s contagious excitement did nothing to alleviate her nervousness. Would Dr. Feckwell want Adan back?
I doubt he would, Adan said. Not at this point. He is likely doing the same experiment on someone else though. I wonder if he can perform the surgery on himself. It is possible if he programs a MediScan with some extra devices connected. Possibly with the MediScan on its own.
“Okay, and are you fine with going, Adan?” Nadani asked. We don’t have to if you don’t want to. I’ll totally understand, she added just for it to hear.
“My curiosity is outweighing my anxiety,” Adan said. “We should go. It gives us something to do while Park and I keep trying to decipher this information. It is rather hard to learn an alien date, time, and numbering system.” Adan paused. “And you need something to occupy your mind.”
“I know,” Nadani replied. “Dwelling on Trisha isn’t going to make it any better. I know that. She could already be dead for all we know.”
“Oh, no, no,” Dr. Tysgan said. “She is alive. Why capture if going to kill?”
“I suppose that is true,” Nadani said.
“Adan, would you get the ship folding to—let’s see,” she said, and reviewed the message. “Planet Lakishma in the Prime Xovia system. Never been there before. What’s it like?”
“It’s a class three planet,” Adan said. Class three planets were terrestrial planets and highly sought after by colony-starters. Nadani, Trisha, and Adan had made several lucrative trades for the locations of terrestrial planets. “And being class three, it should be a good place to visit. It is grassy with few mountains and two oceans. There is a warning about predators at night, but we will be fine inside the labs. The planet is smaller than Ithaca and gravity is a little less than standard. The ship is prepping to fold.”
“Many people?” Dr. Tysgan asked.
“There are around forty-five million people living on the planet. Tourism bumps the number up to fifty million people active planetside. We’re headed to one of the smaller cities.”
“That’s good,” Nadani said. She didn’t want to deal with a bustling city. “Although it doesn’t matter so much since we’re docking at the labs’ pads.”
“Less chance to encounter CAAI the better,” Dr. Tysgan said. Nadani remembered he would stand out to CAAI more than she.
“Dr. Tysgan, why don’t you shapeshift to something or someone else?” Nadani asked. How kahelek shapeshifting worked eluded her, but she thought it an option at least.
“Treaty,” Dr. Tysgan said. “Kahelek are to have one form within JUS space. Plus I have no clothes for other shape!” Dr. Tysgan chuckled.
Nadani smiled with Dr. Tysgan and nodded her head.
That would make keeping track of the kahelek easier, Adan said. They could use the standard ident system instead of creating something new and more complex for kahelek.
It’s too bad, Nadani said. I wanted to see him shift too.
That would have been a peculiar sight, Adan said.
The ship entered foldspace a few moments later, noticed only by the viewscreens with outside camera feeds displayed going black. She sighed, reopened her book on her mental overlay, and tried to focus on reading. Her thoughts kept wandering to Trisha though she tried to take Dr. Tysgan’s words to heart. Surely they wouldn’t take her to kill her.
But what are they doing to her? Nadani thought.
Engineer
Trisha wished she found a better place to hide, but this place seemed out of the way and, judging from the disused cargo crates filling the room, less frequented than other parts of the structure she went through. The ship’s layout—for it had to be a ship based on the tech she viewed—confused her. Everything seemed to be arranged in a haphazard sort of way—mazelike. Perhaps if she had a map it would make sense.
She learned her way around though. The corridors were usually empty which in itself was eerie. A JUS ship of this size would bustle with people going to and fro areas for different reasons. The chance of running into one of the bug-things, or a group of them, still existed so this sol she worked on a way to defend herself.
In one hand Trisha held her multitool and on a metal crate in front of her laid out precisely were parts of two of the alien pistols. Upon close examination she determined these the source of the stun blast which knocked her and the other prisoners out, yet the only switch they had was a safety. Stunning a target was the only thing it could do, and she bet the alien’s natural chitinous armor could absorb most of the stun, making these incredibly useful against enemy targets with minimal friendly fire incidents.
Aiming for the head would have the desired effect since the aliens’ chitin stopped at the neck, but that would not work for Trisha. Her skills with ranged weapons could use some practice and she knew she would miss the head most of the time, giving away her position and any element of surprise she needed. No, she needed a weapon requiring as little aiming as possible.
The alien tech took some figuring out, but she managed to construe the basics. This new weapon needed more kick to it, so she merged the two power cells together; she did not want her targets getting up after she passed them to surprise her from behind. She worked with the tiny pieces of both blasters, combining them into a single blaster. The safety switch’s purpose altered, she would need to be careful. The blaster would always be ready to fire. The switch now swapped the blaster mode between a precise blast and a spread blast which could catch two or three targets at once. It altered the firing delay as well, allowing a greater burst during a spread blast to keep the total damage per target high.
That is, if it didn’t blow up in her hand.
Even if the spread blast didn’t kill them it should penetrate their armor and do some damage. The pain—if they felt pain—might knock them to the ground where Trisha could finish them off with single blasts.
Could I really do that? Trisha asked herself. These are creatures with their own type of civilization, or culture—even though that culture is bent on capturing mine. What do they have in store for us though? It’s easy to make that decision when they present themselves as the monsters.
There must have been another type of weapon they used too. Simple stun guns wouldn’t work on shielded security personnel.
This is what I have, so this is
what I work with, she thought.
Building a new type of gun would have been impossible without her bionetic eyes. They allowed her to focus sharply on the small parts and zoom in on where she worked. That’s another thing she had to thank Nadani for convincing her to get.
It took her the better part of an hour to finish putting the weapon together. The grip, almost too small for her own hand, made her a little unhappy, but it serviced. A larger person would have trouble handling it. She noticed how small the aliens’ hands were.
Should I test it? she wondered as she put her multitool back into her pocket, hefting the light-weight weapon.
She thought for a moment and decided against the idea. There could be a fire or a loud noise to give away her position. Considering the general ambient silence of the ship any loud noise would be suspect. They had to be on alert by now. Someone must have seen the body she left in the prison room.
Now Trisha needed to leave the neglected storage room. There had to be a source of water on the ship. Food could come later, but water—she needed that soon.
Unless they don’t need water to survive, she thought, decidedly unnerved by the possibility.
Carefully approaching one side of the exit, she peered into the hallway to see what, if anything, awaited her. Nothing on this side. She backed up and walked to the other side of the doorway, looking down the other side of the hallway as she did. It looked clear to her. With a deep breath she stepped into the hallway, headed to the left—the direction which remained unexplored.
The emptiness only made her heart race faster. Where were all the aliens? Did the ship have a skeleton crew? Or were the aliens content to sit in their designated rooms? She knew there had to be some around.
The hallway curved about ninety degrees to the left. She followed the curve carefully on the outside, giving herself a clear view of the path as it came into sight. When it straightened, she noticed something curious. There on the left side, partway up the wall, a metallic box protruded. Considering the hallways were smooth, green material otherwise, the gray metal stood out prominently. She approached with caution, keeping her focus ahead of her and glancing behind herself every so often.
There on the side, unnoticed from a distance, a small button beckoned. She cautioned herself though—she didn’t know what it did yet. In the middle of the concaved top of the box laid a circular knob with a hole in it. Since the device had no safeguards, she tapped the button as a test. A small jet of water streamed upward from the knob-like feature, startling her, but she knew its purpose.
It’s a water fountain, she thought. Simple design. I think the alien proboscis is supposed to fit around that knob and then they turn it on.
The sight of water made her thirst seem to double. She wasted no time in holding the button down and drinking the water, trying not to think of how many aliens drank from the same fountain. The water itself, cool and refreshing, had a sweet flavor to it. The more she drank the more aware she became of the sweetness. When she drank her fill, she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. The water left a slight stickiness where it touched her skin.
Let’s hope that was human-safe, she thought. The water already started to make her feel better.
Footsteps echoed in the corridor and in sudden panic, she couldn’t distinguish whether they came from in front or behind her. The appearance of an alien in front and farther down the hallway spurred her to action.
There, only a few meters away on the right, she spotted a closed door. She ran to it and pressed the button on the wall next to it. The door slid open, unlocked, and she dashed inside. The door shut behind her almost as soon as she entered the room.
The room with three aliens in it. They sat upon beds arranged along the walls but as soon as they took notice of her, they stood and charged at her silently. She fumbled with the custom weapon, switched it to spread burst, and fired. A brilliant white-blue flash of light filled the room as the gun fired a cone of energy in front of Trisha. All the enemy aliens fell to the floor.
Trisha took a deep breath, relieved and shaking.
Barely registering the door opening behind her, a grip around her throat caused her to come close to dropping the gun. Another strong grip held her arm steady, so she couldn’t fire. She clutched at the hand on her throat with her free hand—it was too strong. The alien fingers dug into her flesh sharply.
Vision went darker and her eyes burned with tears. She had to do something. She let herself go limp, hoping the trick would work on the alien, but held onto the gun. The grip on her throat loosened and it let her body slide down to the ground. Instead of hitting the ground in a clump, Trisha crouched low and swept the alien’s legs from beneath it, causing it to crash land on the ground, making a noticeable, solid thunk as it connected.
Trisha leapt onto the alien, bringing the weapon around to fire, but the alien knocked her arm aside and, with one swift motion, grabbed ahold of her wrist. She realized it was set to spread and fumbled with it to set it to single fire as she reached for her wrist with her free hand. The alien’s other hand went around her throat again, fingers digging as hard as they could.
The alien’s arm moved under the pressure of both of hers, fast.
You aren’t so tough, she thought as she choked for air, put the gun to its head, and fired. It no longer moved, but it didn’t go limp either. She still needed air. She put down the gun and frantically worked at its thin fingers around her throat. The fingers took some effort to move, she grew lightheaded, and pulled the three of them one by one. When she freed herself, she took a long gasping breath of air, followed by a small coughing fit.
Trisha laid there for a moment, regaining her composure, and tried to rub the sticky filth from the alien’s head off her face.
Finally she climbed to her feet and delivered head shots to the other three aliens in case the spread blast left them unconscious instead of dead. None of them jerked or moved in any way. The spread must have taken care of them.
Preparing herself mentally, she stepped over the alien near the door, and pressed the button on the wall. The hallway looked clear in both directions. Now she had a choice. Should she head back to her hiding spot, or continue to explore?
The Lab
“Lakishma ground control, this is Astromancer SM522-16A, requesting path to Tara City. Broadcasting special clearance for Zhukovsky Research and Development Laboratories,” Nadani said from the pit. She wanted to do this landing herself. Planetside landings happened infrequently for Astromancer, and she wanted to practice her approach. Not that she lacked skill at doing so, but most of her time landing planetside had been in FVR.
“Astromancer SM522-16A, you are cleared for landing path. Please follow the sent trajectory to enter the atmosphere. Welcome to Lakishma.”
“Will do, and thanks,” she replied as she maneuvered the ship to the proper angles and started decelerating. “We’re on our way in,” she said over the ship’s com for Dr. Tysgan’s benefit.
What do you think he’ll want to talk about first? Adan asked.
Oh, I don’t know, Nadani said, smiling a little. If things were back to normal, then she probably would have laughed. Likely something innocuous, but I’m sure he’ll have plenty of technical questions you’ll love answering.
That sounds lovely then, Adan said.
I’m still having second thoughts about coming here, Nadani said. I don’t know what else I would be doing, but I just have this feeling that I ought to do something.
That sounds natural for you, Adan said. It’s hard to remember there is nothing you can do about anything. I know that sounds harsh, but it is the truth. This serves as a good distraction at least.
Yeah, I suppose it does, Nadani admitted. How is the work coming along on deciphering the coordinates and time?
It could happen this sol, or next sol, Adan said. Or next week. It’s impossible to say. When everything clicks into place, you will be informed immediately.
Thanks, she said.
/> She spent the remaining time in orbit thinking about Dr. Feckwell. How much had he changed during his years of imprisonment? She never knew him well, but he always seemed so relaxed—he put her at ease during the early phases of the experiment before the implant. Then when the sol for surgery came, he calmed her nerves with his confidence and consideration for her needs.
“How long until we land?” Dr. Tysgan said over the com.
“About twelve minutes,” Nadani said.
Eleven minutes, forty-two seconds to be precise, Adan said. If we do not deviate from the given path.
We’ll stick to it as close as possible, Nadani said. So it might add or remove a few seconds.
True enough, Adan said.
Nadani enjoyed the views from the cameras as the ship came in. Every part of land appeared green—a vibrant, healthy green.
The planet is mostly grassy, Adan said. And the grass towers over people where it is not kept under control.
Nadani watched the camera feeds as they neared the surface until she could see some detail. The plants still looked tiny from where the ship flew. She had an urge to buzz right on top of the grass—she could dip down on the way to Tara City—but decided against it. Not familiar with the laws on Lakishma, she did not want to risk a fine or other retribution.
Five ships were docked on the docking pads at the labs already, but Nadani had plenty of choices of pads to land. She landed next to a smart-looking chartreuse ship, smaller than Astromancer. She found it strange landing without a docking master giving her clearance to a specific pad but knew most private docks didn’t keep track of traffic, nor hire an entire docking staff to manage the comings and goings of so few vessels.
When she climbed out of the pit, she saw Dr. Tysgan pacing back and forth in the bridge.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“Wrong? Nothing wrong!” he exclaimed. “I am excited! New labs to examine, another specialist to speak to—this is all exciting!”